Sheet conveyance guide, sheet conveying device incorporating the sheet conveyance guide, and image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11807488-B2
Application number	US-202117162445-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2021
Priority date	Feb 14, 2020
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

A sheet conveyance guide includes a guide portion, a first thrust direction retainer, and a second thrust direction retainer. The guide portion is configured to guide a sheet. The first thrust direction retainer includes a first engagement portion configured to engage with a shaft of a sheet conveying roller configured to convey the sheet, and a guide releaser configured to be operated by a user to release engagement of the first engagement portion with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller. The second thrust direction retainer includes a second engagement portion configured to engage with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet conveyance guide comprising:
a guide portion configured to guide a sheet;
a first thrust direction retainer including:
a first engagement portion configured to engage with an engagement groove in a circumferential surface of a shaft of a sheet conveying roller configured to convey the sheet; and
a guide releaser configured to be operated by a user to release engagement of the first engagement portion with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller; and

a second thrust direction retainer including a second engagement portion configured to engage with the engagement groove of the shaft of the sheet conveying roller,
wherein the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are engaged with the engagement groove at a same end in an axial direction of the shaft, and
wherein the second thrust direction retainer does not include a guide releaser configured to be operated by a user to release engagement of the second engagement portion with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller.

2. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 1 ,
wherein the guide releaser includes a movable operation portion and a fixed operation portion disposed facing the movable operation portion,
wherein the fixed operation portion has a contact face that the user contacts by a finger and the movable operation portion has a contact face that the user contacts by the finger, and
wherein each of the contact face of the fixed operation portion and the contact face of the movable operation portion has an uneven shape.

3. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first engagement portion is configured to engage with the engagement groove provided on the shaft of the sheet conveying roller with a gap in a thrust direction of the shaft of the sheet conveying roller.

4. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 1 ,
wherein a force to move the first engagement portion from an engaging position at which the first engagement portion engages with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller to a releasing position at which engagement of the first engagement portion with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller is released is greater than a force to move the second engagement portion from an engaging position at which the second engagement portion engages with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller to a releasing position at which engagement of the second engagement portion with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller is released.

5. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 4 ,
wherein the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are configured to engage with the engagement groove provided on the shaft of the sheet conveying roller,
wherein the sheet conveyance guide is configured to move in a thrust direction of the shaft of the sheet conveying roller to be detachably attached to a sheet conveying device that includes the sheet conveying roller, and
wherein an upstream end of the first engagement portion is located upstream from an upstream end of the second engagement portion in an attachment direction in which the sheet conveyance guide is attached to the sheet conveying device.

6. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first thrust direction retainer includes a first elastic deformation portion configured to elastically deform so that the first engagement portion moves from an engaging position at which the first engagement portion engages with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller to a releasing position at which engagement of the first engagement portion with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller is released,
wherein the second thrust direction retainer includes a second elastic deformation portion configured to elastically deform so that the second engagement portion moves between an engaging position at which the second engagement portion engages with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller and a releasing position at which engagement of the second engagement portion with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller is released,
wherein the sheet conveyance guide is configured to move in a thrust direction of the shaft of the sheet conveying roller to be detachably attached to a sheet conveying device that includes the sheet conveying roller,
wherein a fulcrum point of elastic deformation of the first elastic deformation portion is located upstream from the first engagement portion in a detachment direction in which the sheet conveyance guide is detached from the sheet conveying device, and
wherein a fulcrum point of elastic deformation of the second elastic deformation portion is located downstream from the second engagement portion in the detachment direction.

7. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 6 ,
wherein the first elastic deformation portion has a rib projecting from the first elastic deformation portion, and
wherein an amount of projection of the rib from the first elastic deformation portion decreases toward the fulcrum point of elastic deformation of the first elastic deformation portion.

8. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 7 ,
wherein a tip end of the rib is between the fulcrum point of elastic deformation of the first elastic deformation portion and a center of the first elastic deformation portion in the detachment direction.

9. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 6 ,
wherein a rigidity of the first engagement portion is greater than a rigidity of the second engagement portion.

10. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 9 ,
wherein a width of the first engagement portion is greater than a width of the second engagement portion.

11. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first thrust direction retainer includes a first elastic deformation portion configured to elastically deform so that the first engagement portion moves from an engaging position at which the first engagement portion engages with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller to a releasing position at which engagement of the first engagement portion with the shaft of the sheet conveying roller is released, and
wherein the first elastic deformation portion has a cut in a support portion supported by a sheet conveying device that includes the sheet conveying roller.

12. The sheet conveyance guide according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are configured to engage with the engagement groove provided on the shaft of the sheet conveying roller, and
wherein an amount of engagement of the first engagement portion with the engagement groove is same as an amount of engagement of the second engagement portion with the engagement groove in a depth direction of a groove of the engagement groove.

13. A sheet conveying device comprising:
the sheet conveyance guide according to claim 1 , the sheet conveyance guide configured to guide a sheet; and
a sheet conveying roller configured to convey the sheet.

14. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the sheet conveying device according to claim 13 , the sheet conveying device configured to convey a sheet; and
an image forming device configured to form an image on the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device.

15. A sheet conveyance guide comprising:
a guide portion configured to guide a sheet;
a first thrust direction retainer including:
a first engagement portion configured to engage with a shaft of a sheet conveying roller configured to convey the sheet; and
a guide releaser configured to be operated by a user to release engagement of the first engagement portion with the sha

Assignees

• Zaitsu Daikai
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zaitsu Daikai

Classifications

• B65H5/36 Primary

  Article guides or smoothers, e.g. movable in operation · CPC title

• B65H3/0669 Primary

  Driving devices therefor · CPC title

• B65H5/062

  between rollers or balls · CPC title

• B65H2402/60

  Coupling, adapter or locking means · CPC title

• B65H2407/20

  for manual intervention of operator · CPC title